HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL: Central remains unbeaten by rallying past Coronado

Lady Bobcats stay perfect, improve to 11-0 on the

For all of the good to come out of an undefeated record, the Central High School volleyball team was lacking one obvious accomplishment — a home victory.

Thanks to strong performances from a trio of seniors — Ally Standard, Mikail Russell and Alexia Oliver — the Lady Cats can check that off their list.

Central rallied for a 17-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-19 victory over Lubbock Coronado on Tuesday at Babe Didrikson Gymnasium to improve its perfect start to 11-0.

“The girls are so comfortable on the road, that they get a little uptight at home because everybody has heard how good they are and are here to watch them play,” Central head coach Connie Bozarth said. “Things were a little tense early, but I think they found their groove.”

Central appeared to be nervous as the match began and the Lady Mustangs jumped out to an 8-4 lead. Coronado steadily pulled away down the stretch for a 25-17 win.

“In the first game we started to give up on balls,” said Russell, who notched a team-high 17 digs and 14 kills. “We had the jitters, and we didn’t want to mess up.”

That lackadaisical attitude took a 180-degree turn in the second set as Central turned into the aggressor on the attack and defense.

It all started up-front, according to Bozarth, who lauded the play of her front line — which included Allie Holdridge, Oliver, Standard, Russell.

The quartet accumulated 10 blocks — six by Standard — to slow down the Lady Mustangs’ attack.

“She just gets into your head, when you see a 6-foot-4 person across from you,” Bozarth said. “Then it makes you think, ‘I’ve got to do something different’ to get the ball around her. That helps the defense setup (behind her).”

Central and Coronado knotted up a highly-contested second set six times before Oliver recorded back-to-back kills to give the Lady Cats a 12-10 lead.

Central went on to claim a crucial 25-21 victory.

“Our defense just outlasted every long rally,” Bozarth said. “I think every long rally went our way.”

Central’s luck would continue thanks to the effort of Standard — who became an offensive juggernaut in the third set. She accounted for five of Central’s first 11 points and guided the Lady Cats to an 11-3 run to open the set.

“The back row was really talking to us (the hitters) and told us where they were placing balls,” said Standard, who recorded 13 kills and two aces. “We just played as a team.”

Bozarth feels Standard still has some ground to cover, when it comes to her newfound offensive game, but she has been a stalwart as a consistent defender on the front line.

“Offensively, she’s gotten much quicker and stronger,” Bozarth said. “Whereas last year she was a great blocker but we weren’t able to get her in there to be an attacker, now she’s doing both.”

Russell and Oliver, who combined for 23 kills, helped Central finish off the third and fourth sets with convincing 25-16 and 25-19 victories.